The Secret of Absol
by Peach-pinky
Summary: The life of Lea Sage has always been that of a peaceful one - spending her childhood in the rural, countryside town of New Bark and starting her new life as an adult beside the calm waters of the sun-kissed city of Vermillion. But life can take unexpected twists; who knew? And they all seem to happen every time she catches a spine-chilling glimpse of those bright, burning red eyes.
1. Prologue

_A full moon was hanging in the dark, inky-blue sky._ _Clouds of mists swirled_ slowly around it, enveloping it in an eerie motion. There was a strong wind, the wind so strong that it made the trees shake and dance frantically, the stream howling and slapping its waves against the shore, the kind of wind that scatters everyone to the shelter of their own homes.

He sensed something about this town, something he had sensed only too many times. He surveyed his surroundings, his sharp eyes not missing a single detail.

There was a distant rumble, and then a flash as lightning struck and thunder roared.

Startled, the Absol jumped on all fours, his fur standing up in spikes and his lips curled in a snarl.

But he realized that there was nothing to fear, and relaxed; slowly sitting back down on the grass and his fur gradually lying flat. But he kept his snarl frozen in the same position, just in case.

A raindrop fell and splattered on his nose. Blinking, he looked up and saw more and more falling from the sky, landing down on the world sharply like bullets and stinging his pelt.

A storm was raging, and yet, he didn't even bother to find shelter. The Absol fearlessly stood in the middle of it all, oblivious to the cold.

He sensed something, something oh so familliar, a force, tingling and creeping up his horn. Invisible and mysterious. He felt drawn to it, the way a fly is attracted to honey, and the force pulled him closer like a magnet. Following it, it kept on getting stronger and stronger, until it stopped abrubptly. The disaster Pokemon looked up.

He was in front of a house, a large house with a red roof and a white picket fence surrounding it. He came closer, until he was just in front of one of its windows. He peeked inside. There was a family of four, a mother, a father, and two sisters. The sisters looked about eighteen or twenty. They were all sitting on a leather sofa facing the fire place, with hot cups of cocoa in their hands, talking and laughing. They seemed content.

But, with a sinking heart, the Absol knew that it won't be like that for long. Shaking his head slightly, he continued watching, feeling wistful.

Suddenly, one of the sisters, the younger looking one, turned and gazed at him with stormy gray eyes, her long, glossy black hair covering a part of her face.

Alarmed, the Absol backed away, and turned tail and fled as far away as possible, all the way to the outskirts of town, as fast as he could. He knew that he shouldn't ever be seen by humans...

Meanwhile, back at the home, the young woman, named Lea, continued to gaze at the window, feeling slightly confused. She could have sworn that she had seen a pair of eyes watching her, but they were gone. She shrugged it off, thinking it was just a part of her imagination, and turned to continue talking with her family.

How wrong she was... 


	2. Chapter One

"Wake up, sleepyhead!"

A voice shrieked happily. Blinking open my eyes from sleep, I blearily rose up and turned around to see Krise looking down at me, beaming.  
>"Can you believe it!" She squealed. "It's our first day in Vermillion City! And our first day of work!" She squealed again and started jumping up and down.<p>

Then I remembered. We had come from the our childhood hometown, the rural New Bark town, for work and for opportunities for a stable future here in Vermillion recently. We had arrived only last night, and there were still unpacked possesions strewn around the house. It was a long story. To make it short, my parents were too poor to send us to college, and so Krise, my sister, and I had planned our future, to live and work here in Vermillion City. Our parents were deeply saddened by the seperation, but they understood our circumstances and bought us tickets for the St. Anne, a famous and expensive ship, to go to Kanto. Today was our first day of our new lives, a new start. Although neither my sister nor I would admit it, we were a bit intimidated by being alone in the world for the first time without the shelter of a parent's arms.

Stretching, I asked her, "So you got the job at the Pokécenter?"

"Yes," she said triumphantly, "I work as an assistant to Nurse Joy, and I do odd jobs. I should be there at seven." She glanced at the clock. "It's six-thirty now. Better start preparing myself!"

I groaned and fell back on my bed. Had she woken me up just to tell me this? But I couldn't help smiling at my sister's cheerfulness. And I was glad for the extra income, of course. Despite it being fairly easy to get a job at a Pokemon Center, I was relieved that something had gone according to what we had had in mind and hoped for.

_I might as well get up now_.

Still lying in bed, I raised my hand and searched the nightstand for my Pokéballs. Finding it, I stood up and let Dusk out. Dusk, a Sneasel, was my very first Pokémon. I had her for such a long time, I couldn't even remember my first day with her. She looked around the room, surveying our new home. Seemingly satisfied, she climbed up on my lap and I stroked her behind her long, feathery ear.

I had another Pokémon, as well. A Steelix named Ruddy. I didn't have him for as long as I had Dusk, but he was with us for a considerable time. Of course, I couldn't let him out now, he was too huge, but I made a mental note to myself to let him out when I went fishing.

That reminded me, this was my first day of work! I had already planned it out. Vermillion, of course, was by the sea, and according to what I've read, there are plenty of Shellder around here. I would make money by catching the Shellder, talking the pearls that they usually held, and then releasing them again. Then, at the end of the week, I would gather all my pearls and sell them. Uncomplicated, and straight to the point. It should all work out, shouldn't it? Well, shouldn't it?

On the bright side, Dusk was a natural fisher. Though she wasn't a water type, back when we lived in New Bark town, we would go fishing in the stream there. Both of us loved it.

With the money coming from my job as a fisher woman and Krise's job at the Pokémon Center, we would be able to live fairly well. And if ever something went wrong, we could always get financial help from our parents. Yes, yes everything is going as planned, I reasured myself. Though a tinge of worry and nervousness gnawed at my heart. All sorts of "what if"s ran through my mind. I shook myself mentaly. _Stop thinking such things, Lea. If our luck runs out, mom and dad would embrace us with open arms! _A voice inside my mind retorted.

Thinking of my parents made my eyes water slightly, but I immediately brushed them away.

After taking a quick shower and finishing a breakfast of toast and cereal with milk, I started preparing my fishing equipment. I got a fishing rod, some bait, and Pokéballs. Dusk was waiting patiently in the doorway.

I decided to also pack some snacks and water. After all, sometimes fishing could take ages, that I knew from experience.

Packing biscuits, nuts, and water in a picnic box, I thought of another problem; where exactly would I fish?

I pondered on it for a moment, then shrugged it off. I could look for good spots when I'm out.  
>Finished, I turned to Dusk and smiled to her. "Ready to go fishing, Dusk?"<p>

She started running and jumping around joyfully and scratched the door. Laughing, I said, "Okay, girl, just a minute, just a minute!"

Opening the door, I breathed in the fresh, salty air and felt the gentle sea breeze blowing by me. Walking towards the shore, I looked around at the rolling waves, feeling a sense of liberty. I spotted a good place for fishing, a spot protected by the shade by a huge palm tree, its leaves swaying and dancing in the wind. Maybe everything is fine after all, I thought. Perhaps I'm just paranoid.  
>Heading to it, I spread out a blanket, put down my picnic basket, sat down on a rock, and reeled my line in, waiting patiently for the Shellder to bite.<p> 


	3. Chapter Two

I returned home from work that night proudly wielding four beautifully sparkling silvery pearls in my pocket. It was hard to resist making a lovely necklace out of it for myself, though I knew that we needed to sell these.

_It wouldn't hurt to keep a few occasionally though, would it?_

When I entered the sitting room and saw Krise watching television, she turned around. Grinning, I got the the pearls from my pocket, and opened my hand to reveal the glittering jewels nestling on my palm like silver eggs.

Krise flung herself out of the couch, ran up to me, and snatched one of the pearls from my hand.

"Oh, it's beautiful," she sighed, and looked up at me with wide, hopeful green eyes, and batted her eyelashes at me. "I can have one if them, can't I?" she cooed.

I shook my head, and started to say "No," but gazing at the beautiful pools of emeralds of her eyes, and listening to her soft voice, I gave in. Krise was a natural in the art of manipulating.

"Well alright, it won't hurt if you have just one, I suppose."

After I laid the precious stone in between her fingers, she gently pinched it and held it closer to her face to examine it.

Still fluttering her eyelashes at me, she continued in a sweet voice, "Oh, you're such a talented fisher. Maybe you could teach me one day? Oh, please?"

I rolled my eyes. I could tell that she was disguising her voice in envy just so she could make me feel proud and possibly give her more pearls in the future. I laughed. "Flirting gets you nowhere, my dear sister." I laughed again. Krise just rolled her eyes and settled on the sofa again to go back to watching T.V, still admiring the pearl.

I walked over to my room. I opened the top drawer on the nightstand and rolled my collected pearls in. My heart swelled with pride.

_I did this_, I thought, _and I did it all alone, just me and Dusk._

I yawned. Without even bothering to change, I flopped down on the bed and snuggled against the sheets.

"Here, Dusk," I called softly, "here, girl."

Dusk turned around to look at me, her ears perked up. After a moment's thought, she climbed up on the bed and curled beside me.

I yawned again. I really was exhausted. I felt my eyelids drooping, and soon went to sleep.

Sunlight was streaming in through the window, passing through my eyelids till it started to irritate me. Grumbling, I rubbed my eyes and sat up. Dusk, annoyed at being disturbed, shot me a glare, then she sniffed disapprovingly and haughtily thrust her chin up in the air, jumped off the bed and stalked out of the room.

Sighing, I stretched and performed my usual morning rituals. Showering, brushing my hair, eating...

After wolfing down my breakfast of two boiled eggs and a hot mug of strong, green tea, I planned out my schedule for the day, like I always did. First, of course, I'd go fishing, and then -

RIIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

It was my Pokégear.

RIIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

I rose up from my chair and headed to my bedroom.

RIIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

Entering my room, I went to the desk and picked my Pokégear up.

RIIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

I looked at the screen. Krise was calling.

RIIIIIIIING! RIIII-

"Krise?"

"Oh! Hey, Lea. Why on EARTH did you take sooo long to answer?" Without waiting for my reply, she continued, "Anyway, mom called me. She said she wanted to chat in the PC. Both of us. And she said we HAD to. Don't you think we should get our own computer? I mean, there are some in the Pokécenter, and I know that we live right next door but..." she blabbered on and on. But I wasn't listening.

"You said mom called? Are you at the Pokémon center? Should I come over now?" I demanded.

"Uh... Actually, no. I can't use the PCs during work. I finish at six. And don't worry, mom knows," she reassured me. Her voice grew excited. "She said she had a surprise for us. She didn't even drop hints to what it was!"

I sighed. Weren't we a little too old for surprises? I didn't protest though. "Alright, I'm going fishing now. I'll meet you at the Pokécenter at six, six-fifteen." I thought for a moment. "How about we meet at the entrance?"

"Sounds good. 'K bye."

"Goodbye."

I hung up. I went back to the kitchen to drink some blackberry juice. Then I would go fishing. The thought of fishing made my nerves tingle with excitement.

_How many pearls will I get today?_ I thought

Fishing wasn't as good as yesterday, I only had three pearls, but it was fine.

I had just arrived home and settled my catch and fishing equipment down, when I glanced at the clock. It was four-twenty, still some time until I should go and meet Krise at the Pokécenter.

I sat down on the bed and opened my Pokégear. No missed calls or texts.

Feeling bored, I decided to kill sometime by taking a short walk around town. I wasn't too tired, and I was itching to explore.

_I could let my Steelix, Ruddy, out for some fresh air._

I shut my Pokégear and stood up. Dusk was lying down on the writing desk. "Come on Dusk, we're going for a walk!"

She looked up at me and blinked tiredly. She shook her head and tucked her face in her arms. Clearly she was still tired from fishing. After all, it was she that did most of the work, fighting the Shellder and taking their pearls.

"Oh, you poor thing," I said softly, stroking her back, "you stay here and rest. I'll be out for a while, but I'll leave some food out for you on the counter, okay?" She nodded gratefully, and licked my fingers before settling back in bed.

In the kitchen, I got out a can of Pokéfood, dunked around a quarter of it in her bowl, mixed it with warm milk, and put it on the counter. Getting my coat, I was ready to leave.

It was cooler than I thought outside, but I didn't mind. I wondered where I should go. Not too far, since I had to meet Krise in the Pokémon Center at six. And not in a place too crowded, because neither Ruddy nor I would be comfortable.

_How about in the shore where I fish?_

That seemed like a good place. It was isolated there, and it had had a beautiful view of the ocean. Plus, it wasn't too far.

When I arrived, I put down my bag and rummaged through it. Finding Ruddy's Pokéball, I threw it in the air. "Go, Ruddy!" I cried. Ruddy emerged from his Pokéball, a great, hard-bodied beast. He was a metallic gray color, and had malicious-looking red eyes. He turned his humongous face around, drinking in the scenery. Then he spotted me. He carefully kneeled his head down to my level. "Hi buddy," I grinned, patting his cold, steel head, "how do you like it here?"

He grunted, and licked my face with a huge, rough tongue. It stung a bit, but I knew he wasn't trying to hurt me, he was just being affectionate. Though he looked fierce, he was a gentle and mellow Pokémon, really.

Suddenly, I remembered that our time was limited. I looked at the clock on my Pokégear. "Shoot," I muttered. It was ten till six. "Come on Ruddy, it's time to go. We'll come here again soon, I promise." I rummaged my bag and found a loaf of bread. It was a bit stale, but it wasn't moldy. I tossed it to Ruddy. "Here, eat this, and quick!" His enormous jaws opened and snapped on the bread, and he ate it up in one gulp. He looked at me eagerly, as if he wanted more. But I shook my head apologetically and said as I withdrew him in his Pokéball, "You'll have a bigger, better meal soon, I promise."

Putting the Pokéball in my bag, I turned and sprinted in the direction of the Pokémon Center. I wasn't much of a runner, I preferred swimming, but I went as fast as I could.

When I reached there, Krise was waiting in front of the entrance, just as we had planned. I leaned down on the door, huffing and panting.

"Where were you?" Krise asked. But before I could explain she said, "Never mind. Come on!" She grabbed my arm and half-dragged, half-led me inside the Pokémon Center.

Inside it was large and spacious, the floor and the walls were a whitish-orange color and were spotlessly clean. Straight ahead, there was a counter where a pink-haired nurse, obviously Nurse Joy, sat. Behind her was a large machine used to heal the Pokémon, and the door to the emergency room. In front of her was a large-screened computer.

To the right of the counter was a staircase that led to the rooms. To the left was the cafeteria, were there was another smaller, counter where a brown-haired woman sat, clearly to take orders.

Krise didn't lead me to any of those areas though, instead she took me to the bottom-left corner of the Center, where the computers and bookshelves were.

It was quiet, the quietest place in the Center, and there were only a few people, some reading and others using the PCs. Krise took me to a computer in the middle of the room. While she turned it on and started it up, my gaze wandered over to the bookshelf. I was an avid reader, and thought that maybe someday I could come over here for a good read.

"Hi!" Krise squealed, interrupting my thoughts. When I looked at the computer screen, I saw my parents there, beaming at us. I also saw Gold, my childhood friend, grinning and waving.

"Oh!" I flung myself in front of the screen. "How are you? I missed you so much! I-"

But before I could finish, my mom and dad started firing questions at us.

"Are you eating well?"

"Is fishing alright?"

"Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Are you taking care of your Pokémon?"

"Did you forget anything here?"

"Did you brush your teeth this morning?"

And other silly questions. "Honestly, we're just fine. We aren't babies anymore," Krise said in exasperation.

I asked, "How's Pursy?" Pursy, the family pet, was a sweet and affectionate Persian. My father brought her home one day as a gift for my birthday.

Dad grinned. "She's a bit upset with you girls gone, but she's fine. I'll get her here." And he left.

Gold was standing in the background, looking a bit akward. "Hiya there, Lea, Krise. You doing fine without me?" he teased.

Krise rolled her eyes, "Oh we're _estatic_ without you!" I laughed, and Gold grinned.

"How's your dad, Gold?" I asked him.

"He has a bit of a headache, but he's OK. He told me to tell you hi for him."

I nodded. "Tell him I hope he gets better."

Dad came back, holding Pursy in his arms. When she saw us her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, and then she jumped out of Dad's arms and started scratching the screen, meowing loudly. We all laughed at this.

"Aw, Pursy really misses us," Krise remarked.

Mom nodded. "She does. She's such a sweet little dear."

"Mom," Krise said, "you mentioned a surprise..."

My parents looked at each other and smiled. "Check your mailbox when you come back home." Dad said mysteriously.

Krise eyed him suspiciously for a while, but then shrugged it off.

"Okay." She glanced at her watch. "Listen, mom, using the PC in the Pokécenter is only free the first hour, so..."

Mom nodded. "I understand, dear." Though she looked disappointed.

"We'll call you, you hear?" Dad told us.

"Of course, we'll call too. But we really need to go now, okay? Bye. Bye Gold." I waved.

"Buh-bye," they all chorused. I turned off the PC. Krise wondered aloud, "I wonder what's in that mailbox?"

I swung my bag other my shoulder, "Well, you won't have to guess long. Come on, let's go home. I'm starving," I added.


	4. Chapter Three

As soon as we arrived at the yard, Krise ran up to the mailbox and yanked it open. Putting aside important-looking bills and other documents, she finally found a package.

It was a small package, not much bigger than an average pack of biscuits. Krise brought it up beside her ear and shook it. Something small and solid rattled inside.

"Maybe they're books?" I asked excitedly.

Krise looked at the box mournfully." I was hoping for a new dress..." she muttered.

"Oh, come on," I said, trying to cheer her up. "You get new dresses all the time. Don't you think it's nice to change for once?"

She just sighed and said, "Come on. Let's get inside and open it already."

We hurriedly walked over to the sitting room, I holding the package in my arms.  
>Settling down on the couch, I laid the box on my lap and slowly ripped it open.<p>

Inside were two Pokéballs, shiny-looking and polished. Our eyes wide with wonder, I slowly reached for one of the Pokéballs and Krise for the other. I pressed the middle button, and Krise did the same.  
>Out emerged two small, black, canine-like Pokémon. Their chests and underbellies were red as a ripe cherry, and on their flanks were white objects that resembled ribs.<p>

They were two little Houndour. We studied them as they studied us.

One of them, the smaller one, was the female. She looked bright and confident, and had a lean, slender body with long, strong legs. I could tell she was quite a speedy opponent.

The other, larger, Houndour looked like the strong and silent type. He stood his ground with an admirable firmness, and nervously eyed Krise and I with suspicion.

The akward introduction finally came to an end when the female hesitantly stepped forward and sniffed my hand. Smiling slightly, I gently laid my hand on her back.

She jerked back when I first touched her, but she relaxed when she saw that I meant no harm. Gaining confidence, she continued her smelling expedition, sniffing at almost everything within her reach.

Soon the hesitant male joined her. Krise and I didn't disturb them, we just watched and let them be.

"Oh, aren't they just adorable?" Krise sighed. The Houndour, whom we have decided to name Simon and Sylvia, were now soundly asleep, curled up together at the foot of the couch on the soft, warm rug. Simon, the male, was even snoring slightly.

I loved them. True, I hadn't had them for twenty-four hours even, but still. Dusk was standing quietly beside the sofa that Krise and I were seated on. Earlier, she and the newcomers were introduced to each other, and, though they still weren't exactly best friends, they seemed to tolerate and respect each other.

"Dusk," I said, "come here, girl."

I motioned to my lap. Turning, she gazed at me for a moment, then padded towards me and leaped up on the sofa, lying down between the arm of the couch and I.

I stroked her head, feeling her cold, soft fur between my fingers. "No matter which Pokémon comes, sweetie," I told her in a gentle voice, "you'll always be my bestie."

She glanced at me briefly from the corner of her eyes, and nudged her face against my arm.  
>Krise, it seems, wasn't even aware of our presence. She was too busy texting on her Pokégear, her fingers pressing down on the buttons rapidly. I wondered who she was chatting with.<p>

Rising up and stretching my stiff body, I asked Krise, "Do you want dinner?" She glanced up at me and said,

"Sure. I bought some Magikarp yesterday. It's in the fridge, but it's pretty fresh."

I nodded. "I'll barbecue it?"

"No, I'd rather you grill it."

Entering the kitchen, I walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. I spotted the Magikarp on the bottom shelf, laying on a plastic tray covered with nylon.

I whistled as I cooked and prepared our meal, chopping the broccoli and squeezing lemon juice on them, grilling and cutting the Magikarp, pouring chilled pineapple juice into glasses and tossing ice cubes into them... I thought of our new life here. How we had changed and adjusted our life to adapt to this new environment. We had even started following a system for the day. First Krise wakes up, then before she goes to work she wakes me up, then I eat and prepare myself for my own work, fishing. When I come back I prepare a late lunch for myself (Krise works longer than I do, so she usually has her lunch at the Pokécenter), and then when she comes back we would relax together and converse with each other for a while. Afterwards I would prepare dinner for the two of us, as I am doing now. For the rest of the day, we would just slack off and entertain ourselves until we went to bed.

Life, so far, was running smoothly.

After we had wolfed down our meal, Krise retreated to her room and shut herself inside. Bemused, I figured she had found a handsome pen pal that she was still chatting with.

Wandering around the house and dreamily staring at nothing in particular, a thought suddenly popped up in my mind. I had promised to feed Ruddy earlier. Should I go outside and do it now?

I opened the curtains and peeked out of the window. It was a dark night, moonless and starless, and it looked chilly, too.

Well, I have never really minded the dark, in fact, I almost liked it, and I was quite tolerable to cold. So I thought, _why not?_

I'd only go out to the yard. And I'd quickly let Ruddy out just to feed him. Then I'd return him safely back into his cozy Pokéball, and I'll trot straight back inside. _Yes, that's a good idea,_ I thought.

I scavenged the kitchen, looking for leftovers and Pokéfood.

I got some pieces of Magikarp, a loaf of bread, and two cans of Pokéfood, and put them all in a container and headed outside to the backyard.

When I got out, I put down the container on the ground at the the foot of a large weeping willow tree temporarily, and rummaged my bag for Ruddy's Pokéball.

Finding it, I pressed the middle button and out came the mighty Steelix.

"STEEEELIIIXX!" he roared his name, announcing his presence to the world, disrupting the peace and silence of the night.

I covered my ears with my hands. I heard a girl scream in the distance. A flock of Pidgey, alarmed at the sudden noise, flew up in the air from the tree they were roosting on, fluttering and twittering in panic.  
>Oh no, I thought, this isn't pretty...<p>

"STEEEELI-"

"SSSHHH!" I hissed as loudly as I could. The Stellix turned to face me and blinked, clearly puzzled. But he seemed to understand the desperate note in my voice, the pleading look in my eyes, and quieted down.

Krise slammed open the back door and rushed into the yard, her eyes wide with fright.

"What happened?" she gasped.

My face was a brilliant red color, like a tomato's, and my voice shook slightly as I told Krise, "You see, I was out to feed Ruddy, and I let him out and he just started to roar at the top of his lungs. I-I didn't mean it, honestly I didn't." She watched as Ruddy, realizing his crime, hung his massive head down guiltily.

"Oh, good. I thought there was an accident or something." She walked to the container filled with food and started taking out its contents and scooped them up to Ruddy, who ate every last mouthful greedily.

When he had finished, he kneeled his body down and licked my hair. His eyes were wide and puppy-like, clearly he was wanting to be forgiven.

His lick made my hair look like it has never seen a comb in its life, but I turned to him anyway and smiled wearily.

He looked down apologetically. I patted his head, and said "Oh, it's alright. I forgive you, big buddy. Now come on, it's getting late, let's get back inside."


	5. Chapter Four

After the embarrassing scene with Ruddy, I hurried over to my room and sulked all night. I was so humiliated! I sure hoped no one saw me...

"Lea?"

Krise was calling me. I just ignored her.

I was still upset by what happened last night, and besides, it was Saturday today, I wanted to just sleep in...

"LEA!"

Krise practically skipped into my room. She paused by the mirror and admired herself for a while.

What a sweet, modest young woman...

Then, suddenly, as if realizing where she was and what she had to do, she turned around to face me and sat down on my bed.

"Hey Lea, I planned our schedule for the weekend! It's totally awesome!" She squealed.

I sighed. And what exactly was Krise's idea of "totally awesome"? I asked her drearily, "So what are we doing?"

"Alright, so first of all, you'd sell your pearls at the Pokémart." I nodded in approval. "And then, do you know route 13 and 14? I heard it has really nice scenery, so, since I know you like Pokémon and nature and stuff, and you like helping those less fortunate than we are - " That was true. My heart bled for the homeless and the orphaned, and I had always wanted to help them in whatever way, "- so I decided we'd go on a Pokémon-catching expedition as a charity event. I contacted some people who were interested, two people want a Pidgeotto, three a Nidorino, and one a Nidorina. Those Pokémon are for orphanages. Also, three really cute - er, I mean kind people, Allan, Joe, and Billy, are joining us for the trip." She grinned. "Isn't it exciting?"

I stared at her dumbly. It took me a while to digest all this information. I couldn't believe it. Was Krise really that thoughtful? "And you organized all this... by yourself?"

She nodded proudly.

In a flash, I threw off my blanket, jumped up on her and hugged her tightly. Surprised, she hugged me back. "I can't believe that you actually did this! Even if you're vain, manipulative, and demanding, I'll say it, I'm proud to be your sister, Krise Sage!"

She looked at me, dazed. "Thanks... I think." She laughed. Getting out of bed and stretching, I told her, "Go and prepare our breakfast. I'll join you soon."

She nodded and obediently left my room to the kitchen.

I was so excited. I decided I would bring our two Houndour, Simon and Sylvia, with us. I knew Dusk, she wasn't the kind that liked to run freely in wide-open spaces, she preferred lying patiently by a body of water and scooping out Pokémon. I figured it would be better to leave her here.  
><em>After all, she deserves a day off.<em>

Krise and I were in our rooms, preparing ourselves for the day.

I thought of what I should wear. Nothing too formal, since it could get stained by mud or soil while I'm outdoors, and nothing too stiff, as I needed to be able to run and jump comfortably.

Finally I decided to wear flexible black leggings and a simple blue T-Shirt with a pink sweater. I searched my closet and found a random pair of red sneakers. They were light and comfortable, perfect for running.

I got out my favorite medium-pink backpack, which I took almost everywhere with me. In it I packed Pokéballs, potions, my pearls, a bottle of water, and some snacks, namely an apple and crackers.  
>I swung my bag over my shoulder and got out of my room. I was ready, but I still had to wait for Krise.<br>I entered the kitchen and put my bag down on the table. Simon and Sylvia were wrestling playfully on the floor. Dusk was seated on the counter, licking her sharp, hooked claws.

"Alright," I said loudly, "I have an announcement. Today we're going on a Pokécatching trip."

The Houndour exchanged excited glances, looking gleeful. But Dusk looked disappointed. "If you like, Dusk, you can stay here and rest," I offered her kindly. She nodded, relieved. I turned to Sylvia and Simon. "Anyway, Krise and I will rely on you two to track the Pokémon and weaken them, so please, do your best!"

They ran up to me, barking happily and licking my hands. I laughed, "We'll all have a grand time. Oh, and there'll be other people, too. Allan, Joe, and Billy, according to Krise." They stopped licking me and sat down with an anxious look on their faces. I sighed. "I know, I'm also a bit unnerved by going with strangers. But, oh well."

I heard the opening and closing of a door and the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer. Then Krise entered the kitchen.

She was wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt and a short blue sweater with a hood, and beige-colored pants. Her sneakers were a clean white with pale gray stripes. Her short, silky brown had an almost sparkly sheen to it, as if it had been brushed a hundred times. She looked attractive, even more so than usual. Patting her hair, she asked me, "Did you pack everything? Pokéballs, snacks..."

I nodded and opened my bag to show it to her. She peeked at its contents and said, "Good. Oh and, by the way, afterwards we're going shopping at Cerulean City. If that's okay with you," she added hastily. I nodded. "Well," she clapped her hands and grinned. "Ready?"

"Yep. Are we going by bike?"

"Yes. It'll take some time, I know, but oh well."

We were outside in the front yard now, getting on our bikes.

Putting my bag down on the basket of the bicycle, I said to Krise, "Are you sure you know how to get there?"

She nodded confidently. "Stop being such a worrywart, I have detailed instructions. And besides, even if we get lost, we could always ask for help, right?"

But I couldn't help worrying. What if we ended up miles and miles away from where we were supposed to be, in a strange town with strange people?

Krise must've noticed my anxiety, because she laughed and said, "Look Lea, route 14 isn't that far away!" I looked at her doubtfully. "Okay, maybe it is, but still! You're making mountains out of molehills. Stop being so pessimistic!"

I sighed and said, "I'm not being pessimistic, Krise, I'm being realistic. The fact is, we're going to some place we've never been to before, and meeting with strangers we've never even met. They could be murderers for all I know!"

She rolled her eyes. "You're so untrusting. Lets just go and have fun, alright? We're doing this for charity, remember!"

"Which reminds me," I said, growing angrier and angrier, "how exactly do you plan to give the Pokémon to an orphanage? You don't know any here in Kanto!"

"Allan, Joe, and Billy will take care of that, they told me!" she snapped. "If you don't want to join us and help orphaned children, then that's fine by me!" she spat.

I glared at her. "I didn't say I didn't want to help, and you know it. I was just stating a fact, _we don't know these people._ What if they just steal the Pokémon and keep it for themselves? You're too naive, Krise. You always have been. You don't know the level of cruelty some people have."

She rolled her eyes and ignored me. She got up on her bike, and started riding to our destination, leaving me behind.

I quickly copied her and followed.

When I caught up to her, she was still quiet. But I wasn't over yet.

"You see?" I said smugly. "You just don't want to admit that you're wrong, and that I'm right."

Still she ignored me. I decided to just drop the subject. This wasn't the first time we've bickered, we've had countless arguments (which I almost always won). But eventually, we always ended up apologizing, or just acting like nothing ever happened. It was no major event.

We rode for the rest of the journey in silence.

By the time we reached route 12, we were exhausted, understandably. We had cycled through a large city, Vermillion, and a whole, long, route, Route 11. We were also hungry, thirsty, and sweaty.

We were in a clearing right in front of a bridge. Krise and I parked our bikes against a tree bark, and we stumbled and flopped down on the grass, panting.

Majestic oak trees surrounded us, and the lush, green grass felt comfortable to lay on.

We just stayed there, motionless for several moments, resting our sore bodies and our aching legs.  
>Finally, slowly, slowly, I got up. Sitting up with my legs crossed, I asked Krise in a hoarse voice, "Do you want... do you want some water?"<p>

She sighed miserably. I felt sorry for her. She wasn't as strong as I was, for her the journey must of been even harder. "Yes, oh lord, yes," she groaned, "we are never, _ever_ doing this again."

I said nothing. I walked up to my bike, where my bag was stuffed in its basket, and zipped my backpack open. The water bottle was at the top. Grabbing it, I handed it to Krise, who got up, winced, and then took the bottle from my hand, and started drinking like a person dying of thirst.

"Don't drink all of it," I whined, "I need water too!"

Finally finishing, she let out a long sigh and licked her lips. I took the bottle from her and drank the remaining.

After our drink and our short rest, we felt a lot better. I opened my Pokégear and looked at the map.  
>"Not much farther," I said enthusiastically. I looked curiously at the bridge in front of us. "According to the map, this bridge here - " I nodded in that direction, " - is called 'The Silence Bridge', because the fishermen there always move silently as to not scare away the water Pokémon."<p>

Krise was staring at the bridge. "I reckon it's a popular spot. Looks nice, too," she added. "Maybe you and Dusk could go fishing there someday."

I nodded thoughtfully. "I don't see why not."

Krise stood up, stretched, and walked over to my backpack. She searched through it, and then fished out the crackers that I packed with me. She said to me, "Are you hungry?" I nodded. She gave me three crackers and took another three for herself.

We nibbled on them, savoring the taste. We watched the surrounding view silently, seizing this moment of peace.

We have now crossed midway through the Silence Bridge, on our way to Route 13. We cycled on as silently as we could, respecting the bridge's tradition.

Unfortunately Route 13, the route ahead of us, was a maze according to the map. Luckily, though, I had a good sense of direction, so it's likely that we would be able to go through without too much problems.

Krise told me earlier that we would meet Allan, Joe, and Billy right at the very border separating Route 13 and 14, so we shouldn't miss them. I couldn't help wishing that they won't be there. I wasn't comfortable around strangers.

I watched, fascinated, at all the fishermen. They looked hardworking and professional, obviously they had done this all their lives.

Clearly it wasn't only an attraction for fishermen though. I saw a few trainers and travelers wandering around, sometimes in groups and sometimes independently, admiring the beautiful scenery. I even saw a couple holding hands and walking, side by side.

We gradually slowed down to a stop when we reached the end of the bridge, and we saw a wooden signpost that said, "Route 13 ahead."

I turned to Krise. "Well," I said, "ready?"

She nodded determinedly. "Ready."

"Let's just hope we don't get lost in the middle of a maze for the rest of our lives, and rot there," I half-joked.

Krise laughed nervously.

We took a deep breath and rode on, possibly to our dooms.


	6. Chapter Five

Route 13 wasn't nearly as confusing as I thought it would be. Oh there were some hard twists and turns, a dead end here and there, but in only fifteen minutes we were at the end. There was a wooden sign, almost identical to the one we saw before, with the words "Route 14 Ahead" carved into it in a rough texture. We rode on.

When we arrived at the very first step, I couldn't help but stop and gasp.

It was beautiful, in an almost heaven-like way. A pleasant coastal rode beside a pure, sparkling ocean. White, modern-looking windmills lined one side, spinning slowly and majestically. Cool breezes blew in our faces, gently whipping our hair.

Both Krise and I stared and admired this masterpiece of nature, marveling at the carefree and adventurous feeling that the place seemed to radiate.

Krise turned her head and squinted at something in the distance. My gaze followed hers, and I realized what she was looking at.

Three boys, looking around Krise's age or perhaps a bit older, were coming towards us. I could make out their shape, but they were too far away for me to get a detailed look at their appearances.

Krise cycled towards them. I followed her.

Finally we were close enough to actually communicate. They stopped walking. Krise and I got off of our bikes and dropped them on the ground. They walked towards us.

"Pleased to meet you. My name is Allan." One of the boys, Allan, held his hand up to Krise to shake it.  
>Krise shook it back. "I'm Krise. It's nice to be able to finally meet personally," she told him. She motioned her arms to me. "This is my younger sister, Lea."<p>

Allan turned to face me, his brown eyes and my gray ones meeting. He had dark brown hair, and was wearing a cowboy hat. His skin was slightly tanned, obviously from running about and catching Pokémon all day under the sun. "Nice to meet you, Lea." We shook hands.

Allan turned to the two other young men. "This - " he pointed to a redhead, " - is Joe."

Joe was small in height and figure. He had green eyes with a dust of freckles beneath them. He seemed to have a permanent smirk plastered on his face. He bowed and said, "Enchanted."

The last boy, a scrawny black-head with blue eyes nodded to us in greeting and said, "My name is Billy. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too, Billy," Krise said.

We stood there in silence for a few moments.

Krise broke the awkward moment and said, "Why don't we introduce our Pokémon?"

Allan nodded his head and put his hand to his trainer's belt and got out his Pokéball. He threw it in the air.

"Ni-i-ine tai-ils," the Pokémon, a beautiful fox-like Pokémon with light yellow fur and multiple tails, cried out its name.

"This is Ninetails," said Allan, coming down to pat it on its back. "He's a pretty good chap."

Joe showed us his Arcanine and Billy his Dragonite.

"Wow," I said looking at the mighty Dragonite hovering up in the air, "did you train it all by yourself? Was it hard?"

"I did," Billy said proudly. "And yeah, it was difficult, but the hard work paid off. Just look at the beast!" He waved his arms at the Dragon Pokémon.

"Well, will we go to camp now?" Joe interrupted, somewhat impatiently. "We haven't had lunch yet, you know."

"Neither have we," I said coolly. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't introduce each other. That's what people do when they first meet, you know."

Joe gave me an annoyed look. From what I knew so far, I didn't like him. He seemed childish and irritating.

Allan, clearly trying to stop this into escalating to an argument, quickly said, "Sure. It's close by and it's a pretty nice spot. Come on." And he led us there. We followed him in silence.

We came to a shady spot protected by two trees facing each other, their leaves overlapping, acting as a kind of roof. Surrounding us were thick, dense bushes, their leaves were dark and had a rough texture, creating a wall around us. In the center was a pile of sticks and rocks, obviously for making a fire. Five large, flat boulders made a circle around it, clearly for us to sit on.

Allan walked in and chose a boulder to sit on himself. "Here it is," he said. "Do you like it?"

Krise wandered around the small camp, looking at everything as if she were a customer looking for a new house to buy. She nodded, satisfied. "It's nice." She put her bag down beside one of the boulders and sat down.

She looked up at us expectantly. "Well," she said. "Come on. Have a seat." She waved her arms towards the other three boulders.

Joe, Billy and I obediently settled our bags and sat down.

"Okay," Allan said loudly. "You all know why we're here. A charity event." We all nodded our heads.  
>"Now according to Krise, she and her sister, Lea, don't have much experience. Joe, Billy and I do, so we will mentor you.<p>

"I will help Lea." I just stared. "And Billy will help Krise."

"But what will I do?" Joe protested. "Just stand there?"

"What do you mean, 'just stand there'? You're gonna catch Pokémon, like the rest of us!"

"Why can't I help anyone?" he whined. "It's not fair."

Allan looked exasperated. "Joe, it's no big deal," he sighed. "Get over it."

Joe turned to Billy, who didn't say anything so far. He seemed a quiet person, something he and I had in common. "You don't mind if I take Krise instead of you, do you?" Joe asked him.

"W-well no, but..." Billy glanced at Allan.

"Oh for heaven's sake, anything to get you to shut up!" he snapped.

Joe smirked. In a falsely cordial voice, he said, "Gee, calm down Allan. It isn't polite to yell like this in front of guests."

Allan turned away from him, looking embarrassed and flustered. "Excuse me..." he muttered to Krise and I. "Anyway, you didn't show us your Pokémon yet. Shall we see them now?"

Krise and I glanced at each other. "Assuming that we don't get interrupted again." I snuck a glance at Joe from the corner of my eyes. His face was expressionless. "Here." I got out my Pokéballs from my bag.

Sylvia came out. "Arf!" she barked, and wagged her tail in a greeting.

Simon then came out. He stood there and didn't do anything, he just stared.

"This is Simon," I said, patting him on his back.

"And that's Sylvia." Krise pointed to her.

Allan nodded. "They're fine looking Houndour."

"Did they ever win an ugly contest?" I heard Joe mutter to Billy.

Everyone pretended not to hear him, but inside I was fuming at his snide remark. Joe was just one of those people who felt that they had to make all situations as uncomfortable as possible, as if his life depended on it. I despised people like him.

Allan clapped his hands and said, "Let's prepare our food, shall we?" He scanned each one of our faces. "You - " he pointed at Joe, " - will roast the vegetables."

"Me?" Joe asked. "But that's the hardest part!"

"Tough. Come on, man up."

"You, Lea," he nodded at me. "Will prepare the Pokémons' food."

"Of course," I said.

"Krise will do the cutting and Billy will build the fire. The food and utensils are over here." He pointed to a container filled with broccoli, zucchini, and carrots. Beside it were a pile of forks and knives. There were also four cans of Pokéfood. "I'll help each one of you here and there. Come on, start." There was a hustle and bustle of activity as each one of us went to do our respective jobs.

I walked over to the Pokéfood. I got out a huge bowl, meant to feed all the Pokémon, and filled it up with two cans. All the Pokémon, except Dragonite, trotted over to eat. I glanced at the Dragon Pokémon. It was still flying in the air in circles. I frowned. How was I supposed to feed it?

I decided I would ask Allan what to do.

He was going around, inspecting everyone's work, telling them what to and what not to do. He seemed to be a leader figure among us, I observed. He was demonstrating to Krise how to cut correctly. When he was done, I walked over to him and asked, "Uh, sorry if I'm being a bit pesky, but I really don't know what to feed the Dragonite."

He looked up at the flying Pokémon. He slapped his hand on his forehead as he exclaimed, "Oh! We forgot to tell you. We already fed Dragonite. He doesn't eat Pokéfood, he just eats huge chunks of meat. And don't worry, you aren't pesky at all," he reassured me. "Unlike - " he shot a look at Joe, who was taking the chopped pieces of vegetables from Krise to roast them and grumbling, " - _some_ people."

Smiling slightly, I said, "Thank you" And left.

I sat down on a rock. Billy had already made the fire, and was now reading. Curious, I asked him, "What are you reading?"

He glanced at me, and them showed me the cover of the book. It read "_Black Hearts in Battersea_."  
>"Oh!" I said. "I always wanted to read that. I read its prequel,<em>The Wolves of Willoughby Chase<em>, but I could never find that in any library or bookstore, where did you get it?" I nodded to his book.

He looked surprised that I knew the book. "I just found it in my family's library. I'm almost finished with it, if you like I could lend it to you when I'm done," he offered kindly.

"Oh, thank you!" I said, surprised yet happy.

"Do you..." He hesitated, and then asked, "Do you like to read?"

I smiled. "I could finish a four hundred page book in a day if I wanted to. I had before. Reading is my passion. I have written a few poems, and some essays and short stories before, too, though I'm not too serious about writing."

Billy was much more relaxed and talkative after I told him this. We discussed all sorts of novels and books and authors for a while, until Allan announced, "Lunch's ready!"

He passed each of us a plate filled with boiled vegetables, along with a fork.

We all tucked in. We were rather hungry.

Krise and Joe were talking, or rather flirting, with each other. I was disgusted. I wondered how anyone could like a person such as Joe.

Allan came to Billy and I, who were now having a good-natured argument of which novel was better, _The Call of the Wild_ or _White Fang_.

Allan told me, "Oh, so you're a bookworm, too?" I nodded. "Well then, I reckon you and Billy could be pals."

There was a rather awkward silence for a few moments before Allan said, "Hey Lea, I, er... Just wanted to tell you, ignore Joe. He's just a nuisance."

"So I could tell," I said. "Why are you even friends with him?"

He shrugged. "You don't know him well enough... You know he has another side, a more mature, more sensitive one. It just doesn't appear much. He really is a great friend once you get to know him," he insisted.

I looked at him skeptically. "Maybe," I shrugged.

"So this is the plan," Allan was telling everyone. "We will go in groups. Mentor and student. Me with Lea, and Joe with Krise. Billy will go alone. If he wants to," he added. "You know if you want Krise back, you can ask."

"No, no really it's fine," Billy insisted.

But I could of sworn that he gave me a slightly longing look, as if he'd like to come with me.

"Alright. Anyway," Allan continued. "Lea and I will catch three Nidorinos, Krise and Joe two Pidgeottos, and Billy a Nidorina." He looked at us. "Clear?"

"Clear," we chorused.

"Okay then. Let's go!"


End file.
